[Mokke]

I have made a huge digging box for my 5 boys, but once I sowed flax seeds in there it started growing spots of white fuzz on most of the seeds. I have already placed dwarf isopods (tropical wood lice) to it, but after 2 weeks, nothing. How do I fix this before I hand it off to my boys?

 

[LT_2022]

I would dump out the box and soak with a bleach solution (10 parts water to 1 part bleach) for an hour, rinse thoroughly, and let dry. Buy brand new potting mix and new flaxseeds, just in case what you were using before were contaminated.

Maybe next time, grow the flaxseeds and other plants in peat pots and then when the plants are big enough, plant the peat pot into the dig box. That way if something gets moldy or something, you can just toss the one peat pot and not have to clean out the entire dig box again.

 

[PotatoPancake<3]

Springtails are great for mold control! They're pretty easy to cultivate and don't require much to maintain.

 

[Mokke]

Thank you to you both for the help!
I didn't bleach it, but I did clean it before adding everything. I will also next time try out that planting pot idea!
I also did add springtails into the box, although I didn't see much activity. I have also done a digging box before and had the same problem back when I had just added springtails.
Is there any hope in fixing the mole infested digging box? Should I order more springtails? This whole thing is very expensive, so I would love it if I can revive the soil.

 

[PotatoPancake<3]

Thank you to you both for the help!
I didn't bleach it, but I did clean it before adding everything. I will also next time try out that planting pot idea!
I also did add springtails into the box, although I didn't see much activity. I have also done a digging box before and had the same problem back when I had just added springtails.
Is there any hope in fixing the mole infested digging box? Should I order more springtails? This whole thing is very expensive, so I would love it if I can revive the soil.

I have a couple of springtail cultures going and add more a couple times a month. Some people rave about the charcoal cultures, but I've found calcium clay and soil cultures to be MUCH better at producing springtails. I just keep them moist and add food once or twice a week. It's a lot cheaper than ordering them again and again, and it's not too difficult to keep going.

To try to fix your soil, I'd scoop out as much mold as you can and add in some more springtails to see if they can handle what's left. Otherwise, you can dry the soil completely and try starting fresh with the cleanup crew